Pressure type clothes washing and drying machine

ABSTRACT

A clothes washing and drying machine in which clothes and other materials are washed without the use of rotary or other mechanical agitators which frictionally and abrasively contact the machine contents, comprising a water and detergent reservoir containing materials to be washed constructed to intermittently pressurize the contents and thereby exert squeezing and agitating action on the clothes and other materials. The reservoir has flexible side walls capable of expansion and compression, whereby the contents are alternately pressurized and relieved, causing turbulence of the water and detergents and thorough cleansing of the materials being washed. The compression and expansion of the reservoir side walls are produced by a motor driven cam which transmits bearing pressure on the reservoir bottom to impart bellows-like movement to the said walls.

Hall

[ Nov. 13, 1973 PRESSURE TYPE CLOTHES WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE PrimaryExaminer- WiIliam I. Price Att0rney-Bertha L. MacGregor [76 Inventor:Russell]. Hall, 1530 Krameria St.,

Denver, Colo. 80220 [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: July 3, 1972 A clotheswashing and drying machine in which clothes and other materials arewashed without the [21 1 Appl' 268836 use of rotary or other mechanicalagitators which frictionally and abrasively contact the machinecontents, [52] US. Cl 68/21, 68/19.l, 68/96 comprising a water anddetergent reservoir containing [51] Int. Cl. D06f 29/02 materials to bewashed constructed to intermittently [58] Field of Search 68/96, 20, 21,156, pressurize the contents and thereby exert squeezing 68/19, 19.1 andagitating action on the clothes and other materials. The reservoir hasflexible side walls capable of ex- [56] References Cited pansion andcompression, whereby the contents are UNITED STATES PATENTS alternatelypressurized and relieved, causing turbu- 1,292,780 1 1919 Hoover 68/156lence the water ,ietergems and thorough 1,514,791 11/1924 Redinbo 68,156cleansing of the materials belng washed. The compres- 2,406,494 8/1946Ferris u 68,20 X sion and expansion of the reservoir side walls are pro-2,522,806 9/1950 Stageberg 68/20 X duced by a motor driven cam whichtransmits bearing 2,629,810 2/1953 Ditlow 68/20 X pressure on thereservoir bottom to impart bellows- 2,997,870 8/1961 Serra 68/21 X likemovement to the said walls. 3,178,913 4/1965 Olson..... 68/96 X I3,318,117 5/1967 Padial 68/21 1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure l 22 1 fl ,\23

PRESSURE TYPE CLOTHES WASHING AND DRYING MACHINE This invention relatesto a clothes washing and drying machine in which clothes and othermaterials are subjected to pressure agitation for thoroughly scrubbingand cleansing the machine contents without the use of rotary or othertype agitators which frictionally and abrasively contact the clothes.

The main object of the invention is to provide a washing reservoirconstructed to cause tubulence of the water and detergents therein, andto exert squeezing and agitating action on the materials being washed byintermittently pressurizing the reservoir contents.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for sterilizing anddrying the washed materials.

Another object is to provide the washing, drying and sterilizing meansin an exceptionally compact machine utilizing mechanism having fewmechanically movable parts.

In the drawing:

The FIGURE is a transverse vertical sectional view, partly in elevation,of a clothes washing and drying machine embodying my invention.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the housing maybe rectangular or circular in horizontal cross section, its bottom 11resting on adjustable legs 12, and its top closed by a cover 13 providedwith an opening closed by a hinged lid 14. The lid can be locked duringoperation of the machine to prevent raising thereof. A back panel 15rises from the cover 13 and encloses the conventional control means forcontrolling speed, volume and temperature, with exposed manuallyoperable knobs or buttons 16 and an on-off dial 17 which may bearBraille indicia as well as conventional identifying means.

Within the housing 10 is a water reservoir preferably consisting ofcylindrical side walls 20 and a closed rigid bottom 21 connected to saidsides 20. The side walls 20 are made of hard rubber or plastic formed toprovide horizontally disposed flanges or ribs 22 and intermediategrooves or channels 23, opposite surfaces being generally complementalto each other. The material of which the walls 20 are made issufiiciently flexible to have imparted thereto alternate compression andexpansion action, as hereinafter explained. The upper edge of the sidewall 20 is sealingly attached at 24 to the cover 13 and the lower edgeis similarly attached at 25 to the bottom 21.

Mechanism for actuating the reservoir enclosed by the wall 20, bottom 21and cover-lid 13-14 comprises a box-form housing 31 and cover 32, thehousing having a bottom provided with an opening 33. The housing 31contains a coiled spring 34 bearing at its lower end on a plate 35 andat its upper end on the cover 32. The cover 32 bears on the rigid bottom21 of the reservoir. The plate 35 has a centrally located downwardlyextending ear 36 pivotally connected to the upper end of a lever 37 asindicated at 38. The lower end of the lever 37 is pivotally connected at39 to a cam 40 mounted on the rotated motor shaft 41 of the motor 42. p

A water pump 45 controls the water supply to the reservoir.

Ultra violet and infra red lamps 46 depend from the lid 14 forsterilizing and drying the washed materials in the reservoir.

The operation of the machine is as follows:

The motor driven shaft 41 actuates the cam 40 to alternately raise andlower the lever 37. On its up stroke the lever 37 raises the plate 35and compresses the spring 34, thereby raising the housing 31 and thebottom 21 of the reservoir. Raising of the bottom 21 compresses the sidewalls 20 of the reservoir and imparts a bellowslike movement to theflanges or ribs 22, diminishing the width of the channels 23 betweenthem and the depth of the reservoir, thereby compressing the water andother contents of the reservoir. On the down stroke of the lever.37,pressure on the reservoir bottom is relieved, and the side walls 20resume the form shown in the drawing. This alternate compression andexpansion produces pressure agitation and squeezing of the tub contentswithout frictional or abrasive contact such as results from agitationproduced by rotary and other mechanical agitators.

After the washing has been completed, the wash water is replaced byrinse water,.and after the rinsing has been completed and water drainedout of the reservoir, the alternate compression and expansionof the sidewalls 20 squeezes water out of the washed and rinsed contents of thereservoir during the drying cycle.

I claim:

1. A clothes washing and drying machine free of rotary or othermechanical agitators comprising a a housing having atop, bottom and sidewalls,

b a water reservoir in the housing for containing materials to bewashed, said reservoir having a bottom and side walls connected to thereservoir bottom and to the top of the housing, said reservoir sidewalls being made of flexible material capable of compression andexpansion, and

0 means in the housing bearing on the reservoir and intermittentlycompressing and expanding said side walls to thereby pressurize thecontents of the reservoir and cause squeezing and agitation of thematerials being washed therein, said means intermittently compressingand expanding the side walls of the reservoir comprising a motoractuated cam, a lever pivotally connected at one end to the cam, a platepivotally connected to the other end of the lever, a coiled springbearing at one end on the plate, and at the other end on the bottom ofthe reservoir, to alternately raise said bottom to compress the sidewalls and lower said bottom to expand said side walls.

1. A clothes washing and drying machine free of rotary or othermechanical agitators comprising a a housing having a top, bottom andside walls, b a water reservoir in the housing for containing materialsto be washed, said reservoir having a bottom and side walls connected tothe reservoir bottom and to the top of the housing, said reservoir sidewalls being made of flexible material capable of compression andexpansion, and c means in the housing bearing on the reservoir andintermittently compressing and expanding said side walls to therebypressurize the contents of the reservoir and cause squeezing andagitation of the materials being washed therein, said meansintermittently compressing and expanding the side walls of the reservoircomprising a motor actuated cam, a lever pivotally connected at one endto the cam, a plate pivotally connected to the other end of the lever, acoiled spring bearing at one end on the plate, and at the other end onthe bottom of the reservoir, to alternately raise said bottom tocompress the side walls and lower said bottom to expand said side walls.